Dual wheels are commonly used to increase traction and/or reduce surface loading in comparison to the traction and surface loading that can be provided by a single wheel. For example, self-propelled agricultural machinery is commonly equipped with dual wheels to increase pulling capacity of the machine during certain agricultural tillage and planting operations. Dual wheels are also utilized in agricultural operations to reduce soil compaction that would be detrimental to crop growth and soil conservation.
In a self-propelled agricultural product applicator, for example, the applicator may be carrying thousands of pounds of liquid or dry fertilizers or chemicals to be dispensed onto the ground, in addition to the weight of the applicator. Equipping such an applicator with dual wheels may allow operation of the machine under soil conditions that would not be conducive to operation with an applicator not having dual wheels.
Optimal performance of agricultural pesticides and herbicides requires application of the chemicals within very narrow windows of opportunity. The addition of dual wheels, therefore, can substantially expand the usability of the applicator by allowing it to operate in a wider range of field conditions, thereby also enhancing performance and cost-effectiveness of the agricultural product.
Prior dual wheel arrangements typically allow for installation of the dual wheel at a fixed distance along the rolling axis from the first wheel of the dual wheel arrangement. If a different spacing is desired, a different dual wheel is typically required. For some dual wheel applications, it is desirable to have the capability for installing the dual wheel at more than one fixed distance from the first wheel. Crop rows in agricultural row cropping operations typically use a fixed row-to-row spacing, such as 30 inches, 22 inches or 20 inches, for example. Preferred row spacings vary dependent upon the type of crop being grown, and also geographically.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide an improved approach to providing dual wheels that allows the dual wheel of a dual wheel arrangement to be installed at more than one axial spacing along the rolling axis from a first wheel of the dual wheel arrangement, without resorting to the present approach of having a different specialized dual wheel or mounting arrangement for each different wheel spacing.